🖇·˚ ༘ ┊͙[ chapter twelve ] ! ˊˎ

╰─▸ staring, interrogation, and sleepovers

     DAYDREAMING IS A CURIOUS THING, ISN'T IT? Recently, I have found myself doing it more often than not. A sort of trance that I don't realize I'm letting myself give into.

     "Gorgeous, isn't he?" Ava said, with a whimsical tone, and it sounded like she was drooling.

     I wasn't listening whatsoever, but in fact, found myself tumbling into yet another reverie. My eyes were scanning around the Great Hall not for anyone in particular, nor for any particular reason.

     The room was flourishing with laughter and chatter, mixed with the scent of Yorkshire Puddings, and gravy all bundled up into an aroma called dinner.

     Within my own little world, my eyes travelling to the Hufflepuff table, they landed upon none other than Cedric Diggory, and his bundle of friends. At the rate they were going, they could be the primary source of laughter, sat almost directly in front of my own table.

     His laughter was the kind that, even for me, was infectious. Like he laughed, and everyone else did. His smile had a lot to do with it, and, however cliché it sounds, it lit up the room for whoever saw.

     Lost in this daydream of my very own, it became apparent that I had succumbed to the fact that Cedric Diggory, was very attractive.

As a consequence of my distracted self, I ended up agreeing with her.

     "Yeah, he is," I slumped my head onto my palm as my elbow rested on the table, still admiring the comfort of Cedric's laugh, whilst all in all, looking like a stalkerish weirdo.

     "Who Marcus?" Spencer asked astonished, with a hint of amusement.

     It was only now that I was thrown out of my imagination and back into the real world with a little jump, as I realized Ava wasn't talking about Cedric, but in fact about Marcus fucking Flint.

     Marcus Flint couldn't be further from similar to Cedric. He did not have a contagious laugh. His smile was far from attractive. And Marcus Flint was the opposite of good-looking.

     "What? Marcus? Ew, no." I shook my head and grimaced at the thought. Ava tried desperately to hide the hurt in her expression, but not well enough. I almost felt bad that I offended her, until I drew my eyes away from the pair of them, and over to Marcus, who was sat not far over. I could see from here the food stuck between his wonky teeth.

     "That's what I thought." Spencer's laugher died down, and her face melted into a smirk. "But who were you talking about then, huh, y/n?"

     Ava rotated her head from Spencer, slowly over to be, and cocked her head along with her eyebrow, "Yes, go on y/n. Who's got you all loved up?"

     "Hmm? Oh, um. No one." I shook my head, rather nonchalantly, but it was clear they weren't buying it.

     "Uh-hmm." they hummed in unison – Spencer's head now inclined, mirroring Ava's.

     Saving me from any further lies and cover-ups that were far from believable, my little brother ran up to our table, his yellow robes flowing behind him.

     Upon arriving in front of us, he gasped for air, and then opened his mouth wide. "y/n! S-Sirius. H-he's-"

     The boy was either out of breath from running too far and too fast and was simply unfit, or he could barely believe the news himself that he was trying to tell me.

     "Go on then – spit it out." I encouraged.

     "It's Sirius. H-he's-" the boy tried again, barely being able to form words as we sat and waited on his stumbling sentences. "Oh, just come quick!"

     I glanced over at Ava and Spencer, who both furrowed their brows and shrugged their shoulders. Without a word, I stood up, and my brother lead me out of the hall.

     The corridors were silent. I didn't see the point of asking Will for any more details, seen as I assumed wherever he was taking me, someone there would give me a quicker response.

     We arrived at what I assumed were the stairs leading to the Gryffindor common room. A large crowd, made up of all four houses, stood eagerly outside, along with a concerned headmaster and caretaker.

     "Secure the castle, Mr. Filch. The rest of you, to the Great Hall." Dumbledore announced, turning to face the crowd.

     "Will, what's going on?" I turned to face the boy, after a few stares that came my way. Spencer and Ava joined us not seconds later.

     The boy shook his head – his body movements laced with fear.

     Before Will could attempt another go at giving me an explanation, the Headmaster came right up to us, descending down the stairs, with intentions of doing it for him.

     "Miss and Mr y/l/n. Please come with me," he said, rather calmly for the atmosphere of the staircase.

     I glanced at my brother, then returned to the old man, "Professor? What exactly is going on?"

     "I'm afraid that will have to wait until we are secured in my office. Please follow me."

     With a sigh of frustration out of still being unaware of the current topic of severity, Will and I followed the Professor out of the stairway, towards his office.

     "I'm sorry, but what is this about?" I queried, whilst the three of us made it to his office, of which several professors were already waiting.

     "Sirius Black is in the castle, Miss y/l/n," the Potions Professor said rather bluntly like the statement had no effect on him whatsoever.

     "Come again?" my mouth had fallen agape a little, and my heart had picked up its pace.

     "We're not jumping to any conclusions, Miss y/l/n, and we would just like to ask if you have any knowledge- "

     "Professor, I swear, we don't know anything." I pleaded, interrupting the Headmaster as Will and I took a seat opposite him.

     "I'm sure you know more than you want to," Dumbledore said, a look of pity that wrenched my stomach.

     "Please professor. We can't get involved with the ministry! W-we're just kids! I haven't seen my uncle in twelve years! Please," my tempo slowed down, and I took a breath, "I don't know where he is or what he wants."

     "I'm well aware this has come as a shock, but you've got to understand Miss y/l/n, the two of you are direct relatives of the current most wanted dark wizard." Professor Dumbledore's voice was laced with sympathy, that I didn't want, or need. "We'll give you a moment to collect yourselves, but when you are ready, we simply want you to tell us what you know."

     "I don't need a moment sir!" I said, rather worked up. "Will has never met the man and I . . .," I trailed off. Will was sat, stock still and too nervous, I imagined to even utter a word.

     "Yes, Miss y/l/n?" Snape intervened, taking a step closer, his hands folded and hanging low in front of him.

     "I ... don't remember him." I finished, fiddling with the ring on my middle finger.

     This wasn't far from the truth, just not all of it.

     Helpful towards my case, I remember my Uncle and, in fact, remember him rather well. That I enjoyed his company. That he made me laugh. The only reason I chose to ignore all the talk about him, was because I didn't believe anything the Daily Prophet said for a second. The man I remember wouldn't have done anything those newspapers wrote.

     My mother used to tell me stories of her and her two brothers' times at Hogwarts. Regulus died when he was eighteen, tragically but heroically and she didn't tend to focus on her memories of him - I imagined it hurt too bad. But my mother admired her eldest brother.

    I remember Sirius used to use his Animagus form to entertain me when I was little. My mother hated it because she believed a four-year-old shouldn't be exposed to giant black dogs, and yet I loved it. I guess I only saw him as a big, fluffy puppy like any other toddler would towards a pet.

     When my mother eventually told my toddler self that Uncle Sirius was "going away", I remember asking where and for how long. She didn't tell me much, quite obvious why, but I distinctly remember her telling me "for a long time" and I remember feeling a little lost. A little empty. Quite deep for a toddler, if I'm being honest.

     When I got older and I learned truly where he had gone, against my mother's wishes that were, I never really lost any respect for him, because I knew that none of it was true. And I know mother knew it too. No one knew the man that my mother and I did. Not my dad, not Diggory, definitely not the Daily Prophet, and not the entire student body that constantly glares at me everywhere I go. The one person that might actually think that I wasn't insane, lived at home and wasn't there at school to back up my false insanity. Even Will didn't know what to believe.

     Dumbledore sighed, "Right, well if that's the truth, then I suggest that you and Mr y/l/n find a comfortable place to sleep. You will be in the Great hall tonight."

     With an inaudible exhale out of relief that they concluded my interrogation, Will and I left the office and made our way to the Great Hall – accompanied by a grumpy Professor Snape for some sort of "protection purpose".

     The great hall was practically silent when we arrived, besides the subtle crinkle of a sleeping bag, or the cough of a half-awake student. The tables were gone, and the lights were out. The whole school huddled in this one room.

     Professor Snape quietly motioned to the Hufflepuff corner, of which Will wandered over to, and soon got comfortable in his house's area.

     The Potions teacher then sent me over to the other side, of which the Slytherins all were slumbering. I scanned what seemed like an endless sea of students until I eventually found Ava and Spencer, essentially fast asleep in the very corner. There just so happened to be not enough room around them.

     I huffed to myself when I quickly learned that the area bestowed to my house, was packed full, with not even a single slither of space that I could nestle down in and call this nightmare of a day over.

     Professor Snape had disappeared I assumed back to the Headmaster's office, and I felt rather exposed as I stood in the middle aisle, as the rest of the school lay asleep around me.

     Glancing around the rest of the hall, I found an empty spot, not far from my own brother, that I decided to curl up into. It'll do for one night.

     It turns out that whatever sleeping mats that the school provided for us to sleep on, that acted as mattresses, were a lot thinner than I initially thought. It was hard to fall asleep on what was essentially the hard and cold stone floor of the Great Hall.

     I had been tossing and turning for what felt like all night, experimenting with every single sleeping position I could think of, and yet, none seemed to allow me to fall asleep.

     Despite my tiredness, it was hard to keep my eyes shut, seen as they just weren't letting me fall asleep. I rolled over onto my left side again, resting my hands in front of my face and I ended up gazing, just for a second at a bundle of bed-headed, scruffy brown hair, that sloped down towards the floor.

     I quickly forced my eyes shut, in hopes that the boy beside me wouldn't open his own, to therefore find me staring right at him, whilst he slept.

     "Can't sleep?" the boy softly whispered, at me. I guess I had assumed and hoped he was asleep this whole time, but it seems he was not.

     "Well, who's to say I wasn't just asleep until you bothered me?" I replied opening my eyes, meeting his.

     "Oh, come on y/l/n, there was no way that you were asleep," he said bluntly, with a little chuckle to finish. I naturally huffed. "What are you doing over here anyway? I didn't really think being surrounded by Hufflepuffs was your kind of scene."

     "Well, why would you say that? I chose to sleep here didn't I Diggory?" I counter-argued, with a pout and knitted brows. And yet he knew I was just being sarcastic. "I was late. Didn't have another choice." I said matter-of-factly. And believe you me, I would sleep as far away from you if I had the chance." I smiled sarcastically.

     "Is that right?" Cedric smirked like he believed that there was a chance that I would sleep beside him by choice.

     "You think I chose to sleep here because I wanted to?"

     "Well, I wouldn't be surprised," he smirked.

     "Oh, don't flatter yourself Diggory. Stop being so self-absorbed and go to sleep."

     "You think I'm self-absorbed?" he asked incredulously, but still in a whispered tone.

     "Course you are. You're obsessed with yourself, just like every other girl at this damn school. Even some guys, I'm sure."

     His face formed into a cocky grin, "Are you insinuating that I'm attractive, y/l/n?" he asked like he was overtaken with disbelief.

     "You're ignoring the context of the comment."

     "Well, who said girls were obsessed with me?" he asked, his smirk still very much evident even in the dim moonlight.

     "See! This is what I mean!" I said, now in a whisper-yell. "Constantly making sure the conversation is on you at all times. And you know full well that myself and a select few are the only ones that aren't head-over-heels in love with you. And no, by saying that, I am not in any way shape, or form implying that I find you attractive. Good night, Diggory." I finished, as I rolled onto my back, after a few nearby students hushed in our direction.

     "Right." he dragged out his words, finishing with a dry chuckle. "You know-"

     "I, among the rest of the students in here, are still trying to go to sleep by the way, so if you don't mind," I gestured for him to roll over.

     "Got ya," he rolled his eyes and rotated around so he was now on his right side.

     At least now he can annoy someone else.